Our club from top to bottom is in a shocking state of decline. Apart from the clowns on our board the playing stats are shocking. Since 1st February 2016, the club teams have the following records. 1st Team P9 W 1 D1 L 7 For 7 Against 20 U.21s P7 W 0 D1 L 6 For 8 Against 22 U.18s P8 W 1 D1 L 6 For 5 Against 26 Total P24 W2 D3 L19 For 20 Against 68 What a shambles, who the f..k is coaching our defenders because the future sure does look bleak and we may struggle even in the championship when looking at our development squads. ( I have included the latest result for U.21's who lost tonight 4-1 at home to Brighton.)
We have always bought the majority of our players rather than promoted from the development squads so it's going to depend on who we buy (and sell to be fair). The youth set up isn't working that well though when you look at the level young players are reaching at Tottenham, Everton, Arsenal, Man Utd, etc. On top of that, and more importantly, is the transfer policy and those implementing it. Fits and starts of spending. No coherent strategy. Buying with the goal of turning a profit. Not addressing the needs of the squad. Buying over-priced players who have failed elsewhere. Not looking at the character of the players before buying. All huge problems that need sorting before another penny is spent. If Mr Ashley is going to take a hands-off approach (which is probably a good thing) then he must wipe the slate clean and get someone to run the club who knows what he is doing and can appoint a manager and scouting team who are competent.
Getting Rafa Benitez into the club was a good move, and possibly the long-term answer to the problems you've raised. Sadly though, as usual with the Ashley regime, it's too little too late and Newcastle United are going down the dumper. Benitez will get a Premier League job next season and I honestly don't see NUFC coming back up anytime soon.
Benitez should have been appointed months ago. He may then have been able to stop the rot. But no, Charnley and Carr kept faith with McClaren. That decision on top of their transfer incompetence will cost this club greatly.
Has anybody actually seen anything in the last few games that we didn't see under McClaren? Thought not. No pride - check Players hiding - check Awful defending - check No service - check Mitrovic ****s up when there is service - check Poor passing - check Conceding early - check Conceding late - check Conceding all the time - check check check... Oh there's another one... Nothing has improved with Benitez, his win percentage is the worst of any manager in our history
I don't actually agree with this. The players are still sh*t which he can't do much about, certainly in the space of a couple of weeks. But I can see that at least Rafa is trying to make something (anything!) happen. We sort of look like we at least have the potential to get back into a game even if it is actually impossible because whatever he says they are incapable of putting it into action.
I don't expect my view point to be popular until we go down. Personally, I think any difference people have noted has been due solely to prejudice of the name and a bit of eccentricity. Ultimately, while Steve MCLaren has overseen the biggest botch job in the history of the premier league after spending so much, I cannot say that he has been adverse to trying to the best of his ability, or that Benitez has shown himself to be a better manager since his arrival. Benitez has had some of the easiest fixtures, and still only one solitary draw. No new manager buoyancy, no upturn, just relegation confirmation in double quick time.
Maybe it's not the manager? My gut feel is telling me that no matter who the manager is....the players are the problem and more importantly the structure which recruited them.
I saw initial improvements against Leicester and in parts against the mackems, however Norwich was truly awful bar a 20 minute stint in the second half and Southampton was our worst performance under Rafa, however i find it hard to scrutinise on the basis of individual errors by Janmaat and taylor gifting goals away. Still Rafa needs to get more out of the players at his disposal. I very much feel our fate will be sealed this weekend. Anything but a win and we are pretty much confirmed as relegated. people talk about "cup Finals" blah blah blah, but thats a stupid analogy, we should just be looking to beat every opponant we come up against.
It's bad when the last goal the first team scored which wasn't an equaliser or consolation was Feb 6th against West Brom......
The players are the problem. We sign gutless cowards for the most part. Lascelles was right - There is no character. The only players showing any type of fight are him, Mitrovic, Townsend and Mbemba. Even Shelvey has given up. They are waiting for the summer to jump ship on the cheap.
Exactly. The damned ****ing 'Structure' has brought this club to its knees. The whole ****ing 'structure' from top to bottom is absolutely rotten. The second string cant win a game and neither can the kids. The first team is a complete shambles and the 'footballing board' seem to know virtually nothing about football what so ever. Players that have no heart and are either here because they see us as a stepping stone to bigger clubs, like Palace or Southampton, or because we have virtually brow beaten them into submission to come here. We even have a defensive pairing that has got us relegated once!! Its a ****ing disgrace what this club has been dragged down too. Nice one Mike Ashley, ****ing nice one!!!
....and Ashley doesn't want to sell until we have won something. The Johnson's Paint Trophy may be up for grabs in two seasons......
If the best manager in the world is given a colander to catch leaking water he isn't going to be able to do that much better than an incompetent manager with the same colander.
Then you would have been able to take advantage of the tremendous improvement he has brought !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Idiot. That's the point they are making. Benitez cannot improve what clearly isn't good enough. You really do make life hard for yourself, don't you?
So if the problem is the colander, and we know that is the problem, how do you ascertain one is incompetent, and one is the best manager in the world, after they provide identical results?
So you agree with him that if the manager had been appointed earlier these self same player would have been better why do you go out of your way to prove your inferior intelligence
No, what i'm saying is that the players are not good enough and it would make no difference who the manager was. I hope that's cleared things up for you.
